This invention relates generally to sign language, and more particularly to a system and method for teaching sign language.
Learning sign language is often a difficult, time consuming process. For each sign, the student must master the physical act of signing, and come to associate the sign with a corresponding meaning. In addition, the student must be able to quickly recognize the sign in conversation and recall its meaning. Typically, students spend countless hours attending classes and studying textbooks in order to gain a minimum competency in sign language. These hours can be tedious, and therefore it would be desirable to provide an entertaining and educational method for instructing sign language to make learning sign language more enjoyable.
A system and method for teaching sign language to a student are provided. The method typically includes pre-recording a presentation on a medium. The presentation has an instruction portion wherein instruction related to a plurality of sign language signs is given, and a game playing portion wherein each of the plurality of signs is presented for recognition by the student. The medium is configured to be displayed on a display device, such as a video player or computing device. The method also includes providing a gaming surface having a plurality of symbols thereon, each of the plurality of symbols corresponding to a sign language sign presented in the game playing portion of the presentation. The method further includes instructing the student to record, in response to each sign displayed during the game playing portion of the presentation, the presence of the symbol corresponding to the displayed sign on the gaming surface.
The system includes a medium configured to be displayed on a display device. The system also includes a presentation stored on the medium. The presentation typically has an instruction portion wherein instruction related to a plurality of sign language signs is given, and a game playing portion wherein each of the plurality of signs is presented for recognition by a student. The system further includes a gaming surface having a plurality of symbols thereon. Each of the plurality of symbols corresponds to a sign language sign presented in the game playing portion of the presentation.
According to another aspect of the invention, the system may include a video recording configured to be displayed on a display device and a presentation stored on the video recording. The presentation typically includes a plurality of game segments. Each game segment has an instruction portion wherein instruction related to a set of sign language signs is given, and a game playing portion wherein each of the set of signs is presented for recognition by a student. The system further includes a gaming surface having a plurality of symbol regions. Each symbol region contains at least one symbol corresponding to a sign language sign presented in the game playing portion of the presentation. Each of the symbol regions is configured to receive a respective game piece to record the presence of a corresponding sign in the game playing portion of the presentation.